History

The pressing of cane to produce cane juice and then boiling the juice until it crystallized was developed in India as early
as 500 B.C. However, it was slow to move to the rest of the world. In the Middle Ages, Arab invaders brought the
process to Spain. A century or so later, Christopher Columbus brought sugar cane to the West Indies. Another two
hundred years later, cuttings were planted in New Orleans.

Raw Materials
Sugar cane or sugar beets are the primary ingredient for the sugar process of which molasses is a byproduct. Sugar cane
(Saccharum officenarum) is a tall thick perennial that thrives in tropical and subtropical regions. It can grow to heights
range from 10-26 ft (3.05-7.9 m), and measuring 1-2 in (2.54-5.08 cm) in diameter. Colors range from white to yellow to
green to purple. The Everglades of south Florida are a major producer of sugar cane with 425,000 acres grown annually
that yields 90 million gallons of black strap molasses. At harvest time, the stalks are stripped of their leaves and trimmed.

The Manufacturing Process

Washing and cutting

The sugar cane stalks are loaded onto conveyer belts and subjected to hot water sprays to remove dirt and other field
debris. Then, they are passed under rotating knife blades that cut the stalk into short pieces or shreds.

Extracting the sugar juice

In the sugar cane processing plant, extraction can be accomplished in one of two ways: diffusion or milling. By the
diffusion method, the cut stalks are dissolved in hot water or lime juice. In the milling process, the stalks are passed
under several successive heavy rollers, which squeeze the juice out of the cane pulps. Water is sprayed throughout the
process to facilitate the dissolving of the juice.
Clarifying the juice
The extracted juice is clarified by adding milk of lime and carbon dioxide. The juice is piped into a decanter, heated and
mixed with lime. The juice passes through carbon filters, producing a mud-like substance. Called carb juice, this mud is
pumped through a heater and then to a clarifying machine. Here the mud settles to the bottom and the clear juice is piped
to yet another heater and treated again with carbon dioxide. Once again the mud is filtered out, leaving a pale yellow
liquid called thin juice.

Evaporating and concentrating the syrup

The juice is pumped into an evaporator that boils the juice until the water dissipates and the syrup remains. The syrup is
concentrated through several stages of vacuum boiling, a low temperature boil to avoid scorching the syrup. Eventually,
the sugar crystallizes out of the syrup, creating a substance called massecuite. The massecuite is poured into a centrifuge
to further separate the raw sugar crystals from the syrup. In the centrifuge, the sugar crystals fall away from the syrup
that is being spun at a significant force. White sugar dropped in hopper for drying and cooling and sent to grader and
gradation. After gradation sugar bags are weighed, stitched, numbered and then sent to godown.
The remaining syrup is molasses, and it is forced out through holes in the centrifuge. Molasses, from the Latin word
melaceres, meaning honey-like, is a thick dark syrup that is a byproduct of sugar refining. It results when sugar is
crystallized out of sugar cane juice.

Storage
The molasses is piped to large storage tanks. It is then pumped, as needed, to the bottling machine where pre-measured
amounts of molasses are poured into bottles moving along a conveyer belt.

Byproducts/Waste
In addition to molasses, which is itself a byproduct of the processing of sugar cane, there are several others materials that
are used for other purposes. After pressing the juice out of the cane stalks, the dry stalk residue, called bagasse, are used
as fuel in the plant. Cane wax, which is extracted from the dry residue, is used in the manufacture of cosmetics, polish,
and paper coatings.
Ethanol by fermentation

Molasses is diluted to 10 – 15% sugar concentration and pH adjusted to 4-5 to support yeast growth which furnishes
invertase and zymase catalytic enzymes.

Nutrients such as ammonium and magnesium sulphate or phosphate is added. This diluted mixture is called mash is run
into large wooden or steel fermentation tanks

Yeast solution is added and fermentation ensues with evolution of heat which is removed by cooling coils. Temperature
is maintained at 20 – 30o C for 30-70 hours. Carbon dioxide produced may be utilized as by product.

Invertase
C12H22O11 → 2 C6H12O6
Zymase
C6H12O6 → 2 C2H5OH + 2CO2

Fermented liquor contains 8-10% alcohol.

In the Beer Still alcohol (50-60%) and undesirable volatiles like aldehydes are taken off as top product and fed to
aldehyde still.

Alcohol is withdrawn as side-stream and fed to the rectifying column.

In the final column azeotropic ethanol-water(95% ethanol) is taken off as top product.

Fusel Oils are predominantly higher molecular weight alcohols.

Fermentation Tanks